


And things we're all too young to know

by roadsoftrial



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Fluff, Getting Together, Heartbreak, M/M, Pre-Relationship, shameless use of poetry as a flirting method
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 12:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16095467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roadsoftrial/pseuds/roadsoftrial
Summary: The time Gladio tried to convince a beautiful man that poetry was more effective than self-help books.Written for day 3 of Gladnoct week: Bookshop/Tattoo parlor AU





	And things we're all too young to know

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the wonderful [Aliatori](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliatori)!

He walks in on a cold and rainy November morning. There’s shouldn’t be anything particularly noteworthy about this customer, one of many, but somehow Gladio can’t bring himself to look away, entirely mesmerised by the young man (probably a student)’s tight black jeans, his dark bomber jacket and the oversized midnight blue scarf wrapped loosely around his reddened nose, with dark hair covering his face like he’s trying to hide it, a meagre attempt at disappearing.

It’s the eyes that do him in: easily missed, but unforgettable once he catches a glimpse, a blue so deep he could drown in it, sharp and penetrating despite the unmistakable signature dark rings all students from the university campus nearby seem to sport around this time of year, but with a red-tinted soreness, a weariness Gladio can’t quite pin on upcoming finals.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d say these are the eyes of someone who’s been crying. But he shouldn’t jump to conclusions so quickly, so he settles on sick with a healthy dose of late-semester sleep deprivation, and that’s satisfying enough for him as he finally returns to his work, grabbing the cart on which Luna has been piling up heavy books for him to return on the shelves.

It’s pure coincidence, really, that after roaming across the store, all the books left on his cart belong in the same aisle as the one the mysterious customer has been standing in for the past ten minutes. Gladio wheels it in, takes his sweet time finding each book’s spot, quietly putting them back in their place, making sure the rest of the shelves are lined up neatly and in alphabetical order, all the while keeping a careful eye on the young man, who slowly picks up one book after the other, reading the back with measured, methodical interest before putting it back down. Gladio stretches his neck to see what kind of books he’s browsing through, hoping to chime in with a recommendation or two.

They’re… self-help books.

Oh.

The fact that this section couldn’t be further from what Gladio usually specialises in isn’t enough to stop him from stepping in.

‘Hey there, can I help you with anything?’

The young man starts at the sound of his voice, pressing the book he’s holding against his chest, trying, for whatever reason, to hide the cover, and Gladio knows it’s not fair to laugh at his embarrassment, but there’s something endearing about the way his eyes widen, at the hints of red on his cheeks.

‘I… um, I don’t... I don’t know, I mean… these are probably useless,’ he mumbles as he tries to stuff the book back in its place, not quite hitting the right angle, struggling some more as the sleeve gets stuck in the other books, stubbornly refusing to get back in line. Gladio shouldn’t laugh, he really shouldn’t, but the scene developing under his eyes is so ridiculously charming that he can’t help himself.

‘Let me try?’ he chuckles as he extends a hand towards the young man, who reluctantly gives him the book, carefully avoiding any sort of eye contact.

_The Breakup Bible._

Oh.

‘That’s… that’s rough, buddy, I’m sorry.’

‘I… yeah, thanks,’ he responds in a little more than a whisper, rubbing his eye with his free hand before letting out a quiet sigh. ‘So um… do you know if any of these are any good?’ he continues as he points dismissively at the small selection of books sitting on top of the label _Break ups and Divorce._

 _From the looks of it, you’re not quite there yet,_ is what he almost says, but he figures the poor kid probably doesn’t need that kind of bluntness for the time being.  

‘I… can I ask you a question?’

‘Sure?’ the young man says, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to keep it busy.

‘Sorry if it’s too personal but… how long since it happened?’ he asks, nodding towards the section.

‘Oh, um… little more than a week,’ he responds, aiming for nonchalant, but there’s a flash of hurt in his eyes as he speaks, the kind of sharp pain Gladio understands all too well.

As he suspected, it’s fresh. Very fresh. Too fresh for self-help books, too fresh to try and build something out of the rubble. He’s been there before, he knows how being in the heart of a pain like this can make things seem hopeless, endless. And he’s fairly sure he knows what the cure is.

‘I may have something better for you. Unless you really want this cra—one of these,’ he says, lifting _The Breakup Bible_ for emphasis before putting it back in its spot, and he notices the shadow of a smile on the other man’s lips, which he hides almost immediately, pulling at his scarf, burying his face deeper into it.

‘I mean… you’re the expert.’

‘Good answer. Follow me,’ Gladio says, and gets moving right away, leaving his now empty cart behind as the young man ambles quietly at his side. Gladio figures he probably isn’t in the mood for small talk, so they walk in a comfortable silence until they reach one of the more isolated corners of the bookstore.

‘I know this may sound weird,’ Gladio chuckles as he stops and turns to face the young man, ‘but I really think what you need is some mean, nasty, heart-wrenching poetry.’

The other man stares at him, blinking slowly, probably expecting a _Just kidding,_ a mocking chuckle, _something_ , but all Gladio has to offer is a kind, genuine smile, and the hope that he’ll give him a chance to make his case.

‘Um… I don’t know anything about poetry,’ he mutters at last, mussing up his hair distractedly, unveiling those deadly blue eyes in the process, which causes Gladio to lose his train of thought for a hot second.

‘But I do.’

That shy smile reappears on the other man’ lips, a silent permission for Gladio to start picking the many books he has in mind for him.

Twenty minutes pass before they know it, twenty minutes spent raving about his favourite authors, the other man drinking his words, considering each book with meticulous eyes, and Gladio can hardly believe this is the same man who walked in not half an hour ago, meek and ready to vanish. Something lights up in him every time Gladio finds the book he’s looking for, every time he flips through the pages in search of the excerpts he has in mind, every time he hands over the open books so the young man can read them for himself, slowly, carefully, so he can decide if he likes them or not. Gladio is used to feigned enthusiasm when it comes to poetry enthusiasts, from people who want to appeal to him, impress him, from people trying to look smart, but he gets none of that, this time. The other man goes through each book with a quiet, open curiosity, almost childlike, despite his heartache, despite his tiredness, and Gladio can’t help feeling a fond warmth course through his entire being as he watches him take in the words that mean so much to him.

They settle on six poetry books, with a set reading order to top it off, because Gladio doesn’t do things by halves when poetry is concerned.

‘You know you don’t actually need to buy them all, right? I won’t be offended,’ Gladio laughs as they slowly make their way towards the cash register.

‘I know. I just… You look like you know your shit and… I dunno, I trust you, I guess.’

‘Thanks, man. Means a lot,’ Gladio says, trying his best not to melt over how much this _actually_ means to him.

‘Are you… um, are you sure it’s going to work?’

‘Worked for _my_ breakup,’ Gladio shrugs.

The young man stops in his track, and stares at him with an indescribable expression. And then comes that smile again, veiled and subdued, poking mercilessly at Gladio’s composure.

‘I just… thank you,’ he simply adds, parting one lingering look at Gladio before heading towards the cash register.

***

Three whole weeks pass with no news of the young man. The optimist in Gladio wants to believe he’s taking his time reading carefully through each book he recommended him, letting the words unravel, entrancing him, sweeping him off his feet. He wants to believe he’s reading them, crying and shedding all his pain away, that he’s slowly starting to heal, the same way Gladio did a few years ago, when these words had been his only solace at a time when he’d been at his lowest.

(There’s also the possibility that he hated them, that he thinks Gladio is an absolute moron, a sentimental fool, and that he wasted his time and money, and will never set foot in this store again, but Gladio would rather not think about that.)

Twenty-one whole days pass with no news from the young man, but on the 22st day, on a Monday morning where the rain from his last visit has turned into snow, the young man enters the store again, with the same black jeans, dark bomber jacket and midnight blue scarf wrapped loosely around his neck, the tip of his hair frosted from the wind and the snow, trapped under a black hat that reveals his entire face, this time. Gladio can’t stop staring as the young man meanders through the tables at the front of the store, picking up books at random, taking in their covers, peeking at their summaries, before putting them back down as gently as he picked them up, his eyes furtively looking around (for him, perhaps? Gladio can only hope).

Gladio would go talk to him, but he’s stuck on the register for the time being, with no one in sight to come replace him.

Desperate times, desperate measures, they say.

‘Hey Luna?’ he asks in his walkie-talkie, for the entire staff to hear, ‘can you come replace me for a sec?’

‘Why?’

‘Gotta pee.’

‘And just as your boyfriend is lurking in the poetry section, what a coincidence,’ she snarks, and Gladio can’t help groaning in embarrassment as he mumbles a pathetic ‘Please?’ that makes Luna cackle loudly as she makes her way towards the front of the store.

He doesn’t quite rush to said section, but it’s a near thing. He takes a second to catch his breath, pull his racing thoughts into order, and walks up to the young man, who’s holding a different book by one of the authors Gladio suggested him the first time around.

So he did read them—that’s a start.

‘Hey!’ Gladio says warmly, and he figures they’re both playing the same game, because the other man doesn’t start, this time, doesn’t even look that surprised to see him. ‘Back for more?’

‘Ah, hey! Um yeah, I was hoping you’d be in today…’

Oh.

‘So I could thank you, I mean!’ he adds with a slight panic.

‘Of course,’ Gladio smirks.

‘You were right, they, um, they were all really helpful,’ Noctis says with a bashful smile that does a number on Gladio self-control. ‘I bawled like a bitch with the first four, just like you said,’ he continues with a shy, contagious laughter.

‘Glad I could help,’ Gladio laughs in return, filled with an indescribable glee at the thought that he’d been spot on with his recommendations.

‘And um… the sixth one? You said it was your favourite, right? I… I can really see why.’

‘Oh yeah, you liked it?’ Gladio asks cautiously, trying not to sound too eager, but he wishes he could scream from how happy that information makes him

‘I really did. It’s, um, it’s a special book.’

‘Yeah… it really is,’ is all Gladio can bring himself to say, completely overwhelmed by a wave of affection for the beautiful stranger in front of him. Stranger, despite the fact that he feels they’ve known each other for years. ‘The author has a new one coming out in February, if you’re interested.’

‘Oh, neat. I’ll have to, um, come back and get it.’

Gladio nods in agreement, and doesn’t quite see the point in telling him he could just pre-order it online.

Silence falls as neither of them is quite sure what to say next, neither of them is willing to walk away, either. After what feels like a small, blissful eternity, the young man closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and dives in.

‘Actually, um, I also came back because, y’know, I was wondering if you… if maybe you wanted to go for coffee sometime?’ he mumbles, and there’s a hint of pink on his cheeks that can’t quite me blamed on the cold weather. ‘I know you probably get that a lot,’ he chuckles nervously before Gladio can respond, his eyes finding a sudden interest in the tips of his shoes.

‘Well, yeah, but I don’t say yes a lot,’ he replies with a wink and a warm smile that the other man doesn’t quite catch, too busy winning his staring contest with the floor.

‘Yeah, ah, sorry, it’s not, like, a big deal if you don’t want—’

‘Hey,’ Gladio interrupts, slipping the tip of his fingers under the other man’s chin, pulling him up, making sure he gets all of what he’s about to say, eyes and smile and all. ‘You free this afternoon? I get off at 1.’

There’s a silence as the young man stares, eyes widening, the pink on his cheeks an earnest red now as he finally processes Gladio’s words.

‘O-oh, um, cool! I’ll, ah, I’ll meet you here?’ he stammers, a timid smile on his trembling lips, as he’s not quite sure how much longer he’s allowed to bask in Gladio’s touch, how openly excited he should be about this. ‘I’m… I’m Noctis, by the way,’ he adds in a little more than a whisper, offering an awkward hand at Gladio.

‘Nice to meet you, Noctis,’ Gladio purrs as he takes the gentle hand into his. ‘It’s a date, then.’

**Author's Note:**

> (Come say hi on on [tumblr](http://roadsoftrial.tumblr.com/) and [ffxv tumblr](https://thelegendarynoctgar.tumblr.com/)!!)


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